CompTIA CyberSecurity

CompTIA Cybersecurity Training & Certification.

Like it or not, data breaches are a part of our digital world. They are happening every day due to a number of factors. More than half (52%) of data breaches are caused by a malicious attack, according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach 2020 report, and on average it takes 280 days to identify a cyberattack. With statistics like these, it’s no surprise that the average cost of a data breach is an astounding $3.86 million.

With cybercrime on the rise and vulnerabilities constantly being exposed, it is imperative that organizations take a proactive stance to protecting assets and employing skilled cybersecurity professionals. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of information security jobs will increase 31% from 2019 to 2029, making it one of the fastest-growing fields.

Jobs requiring cybersecurity skills continue to grow rapidly, with more than 464,420 cybersecurity job openings, according to CyberSeek. Employers, from government to Fortune 500 companies, value CompTIA as an authority in cybersecurity certifications.

The CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway helps IT pros achieve cybersecurity mastery, from beginning to end. When you earn cybersecurity certifications, you’re proving to employers that you are the best candidate for the job and have the skills needed to protect the organization from cyberattacks and threats.

Entry-Level Cybersecurity Certification

The centerpiece is the CompTIA Security+ certification. It establishes the foundational knowledge required of any cybersecurity role and provides a springboard to intermediate-level cybersecurity jobs. With performance-based questions, it emphasizes the hands-on practical skills used by junior IT auditors, systems administrators, network administrators and security administrators.

Here are just a few of the skills that CompTIA Security+ validates:

• Monitor and secure hybrid environments, including cloud, mobile and IoT
• Operate with an awareness of applicable laws and policies, including principles of governance, risk and compliance
• Identify, analyze and respond to security events and incidents
• Help assess the cybersecurity posture of an enterprise environment and recommend and implement appropriate security solutions

Intermediate-Level Cybersecurity Certifications

After earning CompTIA Security+, cybersecurity professionals can take the next step by pursuing an intermediate-level cybersecurity certification, such as CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) or CompTIA PenTest+.

The CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst certification assesses the skills needed to apply behavioral analytics to networks to improve the overall state of IT security. The certification covers tools such as packet sniffers, intrusion detection systems (IDS) and security information and event management (SIEM) systems.

As new methods in threat intelligence emerge, the security analyst job role has gained more importance, making these skills essential for most organizations.

CompTIA CySA+ covers the skills needed by cybersecurity analysts, application security analysts, threat intelligence analysts and more, including the following:

• Leverage intelligence and threat detection techniques
• Analyze and interpret data
• Identify and address vulnerabilities
• Suggest preventative measures
• Effectively respond to and recover from incidents

While CySA+ focuses on defense through incident detection and response, CompTIA PenTest+ focuses on offense through penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. It involves launching attacks on systems, discovering the vulnerabilities and managing them.

CompTIA PenTest+ is intended for cybersecurity professionals such as penetration testers and vulnerability assessment analysts who are tasked with scanning, identifying, exploiting, reporting and managing vulnerabilities on a network.

Here are just a few of the skills that CompTIA PenTest+ validates:

• Plan and scope a penetration testing engagement
• Understand legal and compliance requirements
• Perform vulnerability scanning and penetration testing using appropriate tools and techniques, and then analyze the results
• Produce a written report containing proposed remediation techniques, effectively communicate results to the management team and provide practical recommendations

Advanced-Level Cybersecurity Certification

IT pros can pursue CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) to prove their mastery of cybersecurity skills required at the 5- to 10-year experience level. CASP+ is the pinnacle of cybersecurity certifications and includes performance-based questions.

It is intended for those who wish to remain immersed in hands-on enterprise security, incident response and architecture, for example, as opposed to strictly managing cybersecurity policy and frameworks.

The primary related job roles are senior security engineers and security architects, but CompTIA CASP+ can also help validate skill sets necessary for digital forensics analysts and network enterprise architects.

Here are just a few of the skills that CASP+ validates:

• Architect, engineer, integrate and implement secure solutions across complex environments to support a resilient enterprise
• Use monitoring, detection, incident response and automation to proactively support ongoing security operations in an enterprise environment
• Apply security practices to cloud, on-premises, endpoint and mobile infrastructure while considering cryptographic technologies and techniques
• Consider the impact of governance, risk and compliance requirements throughout the enterprise